Bangalore, India’s garden city, has slowly become the garbage city – like most major Indian cities and towns. One of the main culprits has been single use disposables like plastic carry bags, plastic and paper cups, plastic and Styrofoam plates, etc.
The ‘Single Use Plastic Ban campaign’ has brought together MLAs and Corporators, BBMP officials, RWAs, citizen groups, activists and social organisations to stop the menace of single use disposables, and implement the waste segregation at source rule in their rspective wards.
As of date, more than 20 wards in Bengaluru have already launched this campaign and almost an equal number are in the pipeline. From Yelahanka in the north to Puttenahalli in the south, and Malleshwaram in the west to Doddanekkundi in the east, citizens are actively working towards eliminating single use disposable plastic. Citizen volunteers are spending four to 20 hours a week on educating shopkeepers about the ban and possible alternatives, and on monitoring compliance.
Celebrating the plastic ban
The State Government on March 11th 2016 issued an official gazette notification banning a majority of the plastic items that are single use disposable. The Karnataka High Court upheld that decision on March 29th 2016.
Citizen volunteers, under the umbrella of Bangalore Eco Team (BET), are coming together to celebrate these events. More importantly, to also thank our politicians and bureaucrats for banning single use disposable plastic items. We also expect to forge ties with other citizens and work more synchronously going forward. Bangalore Eco Team is organising this event in association with BBMP.
The dignitaries that have confirmed their presence as of now are Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Mayor Manjunath Reddy, KSPCB Chairman Lakshman and Environment Department ACS Mahendra Jain.
What’s happening at the event?
Some of the performances include the kick-off by Imp Oysters, a contemporary dance piece from Mirra Arun and a show by the DWI band. We also have citizen volunteers singing and doing a skit. With a gathering of almost 3,000 people, we also have many vendors putting up stalls to educate fellow volunteers about eco friendly options. Some of them include Swacha Graha, Daily Dump, Green Path, etc.
Street vendors will also be selling snacks and drinks, and showing you how to do it plastic free.
The possible schedule for the evening will be as follows:
– 3 to 4 pm: Entertainment and visit to stalls
– 4 to 5 pm: Felicitation of dignitaries
– 5 pm onwards: Band
We look forward to seeing you all on April 2nd, 3 pm at Freedom Park with your families, including your kids. Don’t forget to get your own plate, spoon, tumbler and hanky if you want to enjoy the food. You can expect it to be an educational and musical evening.